NASA’s Parker Solar Probe / Parker Solar Sonde der NASA

One Year, 2 Trips Around Sun for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

In the year since launch, Parker Solar Probe has collected a host of scientific data from two close passes by the Sun. „We’re very happy,“ said Nicky Fox, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. „We’ve managed to bring down at least twice as much data as we originally suspected we’d get from those first two perihelion passes.“

NEW! Parker Solar Probe Trajectories

Parker Solar Probe makes multiple close encounters with the Sun. The primary science observations happen around the close encounters, and last about 10 days. Helioviewer.org now provides the trajectory of Parker Solar Probe as seen from SOHO and STEREO-A for the primary science observation phase.

OSRIS-REx Mission

After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu’s surface, the team leading NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to “tag” its cosmic dance partner. Since its arrival in December 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample. These four sites now will be studied in further detail in order to select the final two sites – a primary and backup – in December.